I used to listen to small FM radio stations a lot. They do something to the sound that makes it sound really compressed, in fact I was sometimes disappointed when I bought cds because it didn't sound as powerful as on the radio.

I'd like to be able to get that sound on my amplifier at the flick of a switch, and no, without installing a radio :-)

What kind of circuits are involved, and how do you integrate them? Compressors, limiters, expanders, I'm not sure what the difference is.

I'm really interested if any of you have other effects installed on your amps

I don't know, I just like that compressed sound, maybe it's because I play the guitar. I like it when the soft parts are lifted up to maximum level and the way the instruments are mashed together to form a wall of sound. I sometimes run songs through software with effects and resave them but it would be easier to just hit a switch on the amp.

Sure! Plug an Audiovox VR1 into your tape loop (dpdt on/on switch). That thing is wonderful for TV commercials so they can't suddenly blast. It takes running signal through it, about overnight, before it runs in. Then it works nicely.

Maybe, you're after the "sound branding" effects of your favorite radio station? The Audiovox VR1 and the economical RadioShack PA equalizer combined--those could get close to re-creating the "branded" radio sound.

Or, maybe there's either distortion or distraction in your current audio setup so that transparency is hindered? That could make the quieter sounds vanish. For instance, even a frequency response issue could distract and creat something "hard to hear over." A misbehaving capacitor could do the same thing, usually by adding some unpleasant mids or a lot of midbass noises (even worse when one is used as a "cure" for the other. So, do check that out.

Find a software program that can do compression, run your recordings through the compressor, and encode them into low bitrate mp3s. Viola, you have radio station quality material. You could also try summing the stereo tracks into mono for that "wall of sound" effect.

I'm building this compressor from the tonepad site. It's made for guitar though, so I'm not sure if it will deliver what I'm after. I don't want a distorted sound. Its a 2"x 2" pcb (mono) so it will fit.